NASA no longer uses discriminatory nicknames for celestial objects | NOW

The American space agency NASA will no longer refer to celestial objects that have a discriminating nickname as such. For example, the Eskimo Nebula is now referred to by the scientific name NGC 2392.

“Some unofficial terminology used in scientific circles has turned out to be not only insensitive, but sometimes actively harmful,” the organization said in a statement. statement. NASA is going to scrutinize and adjust these nicknames as necessary as part of their “commitment to diversity, equality and equality.”

The term ‘eskimo’ is seen as a colonial name with a racist background to the Inuit, the indigenous people of Greenland, northern Canada, Alaska and the far eastern Siberia.

NGC 2392 is a planetary nebula approximately 5,000 light years from Earth. The formation, the remains of a star similar to the sun, resembles a human head surrounded by a parka cap.

NASA will also no longer use the Siamese Gemini designation for two galaxies that are intertwined. The celestial objects that orbit each other 99 million light years from Earth are referred to simply as NGC 4567 and NGC 4568 from now on.

NASA recognizes that nicknames can help make space objects “more user-friendly,” but the organization also believes that seemingly innocent names can detract from scientific value.

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